Iron Skinned Angel
by Lady Fei Fei
Summary: "You're….not a dragon, Gajeel….." she gasped out in pain. "You're…my….Iron Skinned….Angel….."
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - Nakama

He thought he could protect her.  
He was so sure of it.  
She was the only one, the only one who fully accepted him for who he was: former member of Phantom Lord, Iron Dragon Slayer, and all.  
She forgave him, cared for him, even after all he had done to her, and she still considered him a friend.  
And he considered her as more.  
She was his bookworm, his script mage. Next to Panther Lily and Juvia, she was his closest friend in the entire guild. It mesmerized him to watch her submerged in a book, even if he couldn't understand any of the runes or the things she spoke of when she finished reading. But he was always there, right next to her in the guild's library, ready to bring her back to reality when she was done reading.  
So why couldn't he be there for her when she needed him the most? When that bastard of a rogue mage attacked her?  
When her last breath was stolen away from her small body, when she collapsed to the ground, without a single friend by her side to hold her?  
_It could've been me,_ he thought.  
_I could've saved her._

**Five Days Earlier  
**"Lu-chan! Have a safe trip, Lu-chan!" Levy called out cheerily to her blonde-haired friend, waving as Team Natsu, along with Erza, Gray, Wendy & Carla headed out on an important job from Master Makarov. Levy jabbed the man seated next to her & Gajeel grunted a goodbye.  
"You need to wish them a good journey, Gajeel. They're nakama!" Levy chided.  
Gajeel casted her a sidelong glance before turning back to the iron meal in front of him. "They'll come back, that hothead always does," was his only reply.  
Levy simply shook her head with a small smile. She knew Gajeel really cared for his comrades, but he hid it behind that iron shell of his. She wondered what it would be like to crack that shell, to see what really goes on his mind and what he feels. She knew that behind all his big talk and his shoo-be-doo-bopping, there had to be something more.  
And she wanted to be the one to find it, to be the only one to keep it.  
To keep him.  
But you can never tame a dragon…  
Levy shook herself out of her thoughts, feeling her face slowly turning red as she slammed the open book in front of her shut.  
"I'm going to the library to find another book on ancient runes," she announced, before quickly getting up and making her escape to the guild's rather large library.  
"Again?!" Gajeel yelled after her. He looked at Panther Lily, who was sitting across from him, enjoying his own food.  
"Go after her like you always do, Gajeel," Lily advised.  
Gajeel was already gone.

***

Levy made her way through the maze of books. When she first saw the guild's library, she had been impressed by how large it actually was, and how rarely it was ever used. It became her sanctuary when she had nothing to do at the guild, and Mira-Jane could always find her sitting in the middle of a huge pile of books whenever someone from the guild needed Levy.  
And nobody knew the library like Levy did.  
If it wasn't for his sense of smell and his familiarity with Levy, Gajeel would never be able to find her amidst all the tall shelves and thousands upon thousands of books. He would like to enjoy a book or two, but he honestly never had the time or the patience for that. He would much rather just watch Levy read, content with just being near her.  
_Gah, you idiot! Stop thinking about her like that. She's too good for you.  
_Gajeel had always convinced himself that she was, ever since he had to live with the guilt of branding her with the Phantom Lord's mark.  
He will never, ever forget that night…..

"_Script magic, Fire!"  
"Geehee! Do you really think that would work on me? An Iron Dragon Slayer?" He pinned the small, blue-haired mage to the tree, where her two partners already hung by their arms, already branded with the mark of his dark guild. He leaned down, his forehead pressed to hers, her eyes wide, both fearing and courageous, a look he had never seen before.  
"Think again, little girl."_

Her screams echoed through his mind whenever he replayed that dreadful night. Although she had long forgiven him for it, he would never stop beating himself up for being so stupid. He had never known how much she would mean to him now, how far he would go to protect her from anyone who would try to even come close to doing that to her.  
He would kill anyone that hurt Levy McGarden.  
It came as no surprise to Levy when Gajeel appeared beside her and sat down on the floor, already clattered with books. She gazed over at him, her glasses on, magnifying the cheerful look in her eyes.  
Gajeel met her stare. "It got boring downstairs. It's too quiet with the stupid fire dragon gone. There's no one to fight," he grumbled. He always had an excuse, but they both knew that he wanted to be in Levy's company, and she in his.  
A comfortable silence fell between them as Levy laid out on the floor, reading the two books open in front of her. Gajeel leaned against a shelf and watched her, her eyes skimming rather quickly over the foreign symbols on each page.  
"Watcha reading there, shorty?" he asked after a few page flips.  
"I'm comparing two different runes. I want to learn more effective magic and which one will give me that," she replied, still engrossed in her reading. She wanted to be stronger. Gajeel inspired that in her.  
He nodded, and then something else crossed his mind.  
"Hey, shorty…where has your team been?" The Iron Dragon Slayer realized that he hadn't seen the rest of Team Shadow Gear in a while.  
"They went out on a job. I chose not to go with them this time so I could study more magic and relax a bit," Levy answered. She had been going out on a lot of jobs recently, working hard to save up money, just in case she may need it in the future. A break was exactly what she needed, so she had waved aside her team's pleas of her coming along.  
Gajeel snorted. "I bet they miss you too much, Levy. I know I did when you were gone on so many missions…." he trailed off, before realizing what he just said. He sucked in a breath and looked at Levy, who had actually moved her brown-eyed stare from the books to Gajeel. A blush was slowly staining her cheeks that were as red as his eyes.  
_So that's what it takes to get her attention from a book, _Gajeel subconsciously thought.  
"You…you missed me, Gajeel?" she asked him, her heart racing. Was his shell starting to slip away?  
"I mean, you're always around, babbling about runes and whatever it is you read and you know, just being all happy and it's just weird when you're not here 'cause you're nakama and all that and-"  
"I miss you a lot, too, Gajeel," Levy cut him off, saving him from his embarrassment. She flashed him a wide grin, instantly easing his worries about pushing Levy away by saying that he missed her.  
"Remember? I have to stay by your side. We'll protect each other because that's what nakama is for, right, Gajeel?"  
In that instant, he was brought back to Tenroujima, when those idiots tried to hurt Levy.  
"_It's hard looking for someone so small. So don't leave my side."  
_That was his promise to her.  
Little did he know how much his promise was going to be tested.  
Gajeel nodded in agreement with the script mage, a smile playing on his own lips.  
"Nakama. Right."

***  
Gajeel was asleep.  
After some time of reading, Levy had moved and sat next to Gajeel, leaning against the bookshelf, so he could read over her shoulder. She had finished studying the two rune books for the moment, and was taking a break from studying by reading an action/adventure book. It was a story about a mage who betrayed his friends and was being hunted down by them before he caused any more mischief. She had picked it out for the sole purpose of sharing it with Gajeel, but after a while, he had started nodding off, and she realized how tired he must be, since she wasn't the only one who was working one too many jobs lately. She promised to finish the book and let him know what happened as his sleeping head fell onto her shoulder.  
She was content.  
She could be like this with him forever.  
But that moment was shattered when Levy heard a bang, then a shout.  
"Levy! Levy, are you up here?"  
It was Mira-Jane, and she sounded frantic.  
Gajeel had instantly woken up at the noise and was already standing up, not even aware of the position he had fallen into when he was sleeping.  
"What's going on? Why is Mira-Jane here?"  
Levy grabbed his hand and pulled him towards Mira's voice, ignoring the clutter of books that she left behind.  
"It sounds like something's wrong, Gajeel," Levy said as she guided him through the maze, a bit of an unnecessary action since he could pick up Mira's scent among the books.  
"I'll have to ask you about the ending to that book some other time, then," he growled, frustrated that Mira-Jane had interrupted him & Levy's time together. "It better be something pretty dang important!"  
They reached the door to the library to find Mira-Jane standing there, her eyes wide, and her hands already grabbing at Levy the moment she saw her.  
"Mira! What's wrong? What is it?" Levy asked, Gajeel standing behind her, his arms folded across his chest.  
Mira paused to catch her breath, her hands tight on Levy's shoulders, before answering.  
"Something's happened, something terrible has happened, Levy. Very, very terrible."  
Mira met the script mage's eyes.  
"It's Droy."


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: I'm so sorry for the long overdue update! A lot has been going on, and I've been very busy. But alas, I have not abandoned this story! ^-^ Thanks for waiting! :3 You're all wonderful. Enjoy!

In Memory of Nimo. Rest in peace, beautiful. You're already dearly missed, but never forgotten.

Chapter 2 – Come Hell or High Water

"Droy! Droy! Where are you?"  
Jet stumbled through the forest, his high speed magic recharging from fighting the many monsters they had encountered. Along the way, Jet and Droy had split up and now the high speed mage was having trouble finding his partner. It had been a few hours since Jet had last seen Droy and he sent word back to the guild through Cana's calling card that Droy had vanished.  
"You better not be going off searching for more food to eat," Jet grumbled. Droy had been complaining the whole way that he was too hungry to go onwards, with Jet constantly reminding him "What would Levy do?"  
Jet took a break, leaning against a tree and running a hand through his orange hair.  
"What kind of mission did that old man send us on anyways?" Jet questioned to himself as he checked his surroundings. Come hell or high water, they would finish this mission and return to Magnolia. Then Levy would be proud of them, her own Team Shadow Gear.  
But still no sign of Droy.  
"Strange. He's not that hard to miss." Jet took a deep breath, preparing to shout out to Droy again when he heard a hiss behind him. The speedy mage turned around, mouth half open, a name already forming at his lips.  
Jet wasn't prepared for what greeted him. Jet wasn't prepared at all.  
"Dro—"  
Then everything went black.

***

"Can't the old man do something about this?"  
The beautiful white-haired mage had taken Gajeel and Levy back down to the main guild hall and explained everything to them at the bar.  
Mira-Jane shook her head. "I'm afraid Master Makarov is out of town for a meeting. I've sent word about what's going on, but who knows when that will reach him?" she answered the Iron Dragon Slayer, who's eyes were fixed on the script mage pacing in front of them.  
Gajeel leaned up against the bar. "This isn't good. She's going to want to do something about it," he gestured at Levy. The script mage suddenly stopped pacing and turned to face them.  
"I'm going after them!" The blue haired script mage blurted out.  
Mira-Jane and Gajeel both turned to the girl, disapproval immediately showing in their eyes.  
"I told you, Mira," Gajeel growled.  
"You can't stop me!" she added. "They're my team! My nakama! This can't be happening! If only I had gone with them….." Levy clenched her fists and stared back at the two mages before her, determination set in her tone.  
It was such a simple job. Why did they have to screw it up when she wasn't there to help them?  
She shouldn't have let them go.  
"If only I had gone with them, then Droy wouldn't be missing!"  
Mira-Jane walked over to the smaller girl and held her tight.  
"It's too dangerous, Levy. Let the Master take care of it."  
Levy fought her way out of Mira's hold. "And when will that be?! That will be too late! There has to be runes somewhere, yes, tracking runes I could use! Or even, Cana's cards!"  
Cana already had her hands in the air, in surrender.  
"Trust me, Levy, I've already tried. But I get no connection through my card magic when I try to track Droy down. I can't even get in touch with Jet anymore," Cana said.  
"Maybe if you didn't drink so much, your card magic would actually work!" Max shouted out.  
"Shut up!" Cana yelled back, as she downed another mug of beer.  
The guild erupted in laughter, but Levy snapped.  
"We shouldn't be laughing! It's strange, something's wrong!"  
"I'm sorry, I was just trying to lighten the mood, Levy," Max apologized.  
Levy fought back tears. This was bad. This was really, really bad.  
Gajeel had never seen Levy this frantic before. Her usual calm, cheerful demeanor had slipped away. She cared so much for her comrades, her nakama. Jet and Droy were her best friends; she had every reason to be fiercely defensive. For once, Gajeel wished that that annoying Celestial Mage was there to comfort Levy.  
"It would take a man to stop what's happening!" Elfman declared. Gajeel rolled his eyes at the mage's usual spiel about being a man. Lisanna chimed in, saying that it could only end in Levy getting hurt. Everyone in the guild started offering their advice, but Levy only covered her ears and shook her head.  
"I have to help them!"  
"It's Team Shadow Gear, Levy. They'd want you to be safe. You're right, it's strange and it's probably dangerous. You can't go, not until Master finds out what's going on," Bisca said, with Asuka climbing up onto her shoulders and playing with her long, green hair.  
"Fine!" Levy burst out, tears welling up in her eyes. "I won't go; I won't do anything about it! Happy now?" With her exclamation, she turned on her heel and walked out. Lisanna was quick to follow her.  
Gajeel had had enough. This was out of hand. Droy was missing, so what? Since when did strange things NOT happen during any of their missions? But Levy had to know what was going on. Levy had to know something was wrong. Team Shadow Gear was her nakama and Gajeel knew the script mage would never lose her cool like that. Despite his history with Team Shadow Gear, he had to do something.  
"You coming, Lily?"  
Panther Lily nodded. "Anywhere you go, Gajeel."  
With the rest of the guild watching, Gajeel calmly walked out, following Levy's scent to where she was.  
"I'm going to help the Shrimp," Gajeel called out and waved one hand up in the air before disappearing outside.

***

Gajeel made his way to the girl's dormitory. After the seven years at Tenroujima, Makarov had insisted on rebuilding the dormitories for the mages who didn't have homes. Levy was one of them, a faithful resident of the dorm. Gajeel knew the rules: men were only allowed in the lobby area and not upstairs in the rooms, and vice versa for the male dorms. But the dragon slayer was never one for rules anyways. He bumped into Lisanna in the hall, but she didn't even protest as he walked by her towards Levy's room.  
"She needs you there, you know."  
Lisanna's voice was quiet, but clear, as Gajeel passed by.  
"I know."  
"Should I just let the guild know that you three left, then?"  
Gajeel nodded, once. "We'll find her team and bring them home."  
Lisanna smiled, knowing Levy was in good hands (and paws), and left the dorm, heading back to the guild.  
Gajeel reached Levy's door, which was bright blue and covered in runes. He considered knocking, but something told him there was no time for that.  
He busted the door open.  
Levy's room was a mess of books and art. Her desk was covered in papers and a small bookshelf next to her bed was overflowing with books. Photographs were pinned up on her wall, smiling faces and candid moments frozen in time. One photograph in particular caught his eye, a photograph right in the center, neatly arranged so that it would be the first thing Levy saw when she entered her room.  
A candid moment, at the bar. Gajeel had almost forgotten this picture was taken. She had teased him relentlessly afterwards for not paying attention. Levy was sitting on one of the stools and he was leaning up against the bar, looking away from her. She was leaning over towards him, her tongue stuck out at him, making fun.  
She looked so happy and…was that a hint of a blush on her cheeks? He had never noticed it before.  
"Gajeel, where is Levy?" Panther Lily said to him, shaking him out of his reverie.  
The window was open and a knot was tied to the balcony post, with sheets tied together forming a rope that swayed in the breeze.  
Gajeel leaned out of the window, before jumping out and landing on the ground, three stories below.  
"Don't do it, shrimp."  
Levy jumped and turned around to glare at the sound of the Iron Dragon Slayer's voice. She opened her mouth to speak, but then he cut her off.  
"At least not without me."  
Levy's bag was slung off her shoulder, stuffed with enough things for her journey, and, for a moment, Gajeel was afraid that she'd answer him by smacking him silly with it like she did on Tenroujima.  
"Wait, you're going with me?" Levy asked.  
Gajeel breathed out a sigh of relief at not being smacked before answering.  
"I'm going to help you. You heard them. You can't go, at least not alone. You've got me 'n Lily. We'll go get your friends back, wherever the hell they are. I WILL protect you, Levy, come hell or high water."  
Levy stared at him for a moment before bursting out into a laugh.  
Gajeel frowned. "What's so funny?"  
"You….you finally called me Levy and not Shrimp," Levy answered, giggling between each word. "You must really mean it, huh? And you managed to make me laugh, even though I have a gut feeling something's terribly wrong." She smiled up at him and nodded.  
"I'm glad you're going with me, Gajeel."  
Gajeel grumbled. "Yeah, well, let's go. _Shrimp._"  
He watched Levy and Panther Lily talk to each other while he followed close behind, leaving Magnolia.  
_This'll be a piece of cake, _he thought to himself.  
But Gajeel wasn't prepared for what would greet him on this journey.  
He wasn't prepared at all.


End file.
